


TOON - PART 1: 1911-1937

by startrek22



Series: TOON [1]
Category: Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies, Mickey Mouse and Friends (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Universe - Who Framed Roger Rabbit Setting, Gen, Is what I suppose you could call it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23463175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrek22/pseuds/startrek22
Summary: A documentary about the effect of 'toons' on world history (Roger Rabbit-style). Part 1 of 6.
Series: TOON [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687885
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Genesis

Throughout history, mankind has been enchanted by the wonder of life. For something to take form, learn and grow, and leave a lasting impact on others is a mystifying process. One of the most enduring artifacts of life is the work of art. From crude cave paintings to the modern comic book, people have expressed themselves for millennia, declaring their life, their emotions, and their souls to those in the future. In these creations, they expressed their own lives.. and, through their love, brought forth life. 

The idea of man bringing his works into a living, breathing form has existed since ancient times. Greek mythology tells the story of Pygmalion, a gifted artisan who fell madly in love with one of his own statues. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, felt pity for the lonely sculptor, and brought Galatea, his source of affection, to life. Recent literature of the 19th century, such as  Frankenstein , detailed man’s efforts to create life from nothing, with unexpected results. A concept of fantasy for many years, no storyteller or fiction writer could have ever imagined that the gift of life would be given, not by the Gods, but by men. 

Comic cartoonist and vaudeville artist, Winsor McCay, was born between 1868 and 1871. By the early 1900s, he had already gained recognition for his fantastical newspaper strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland, as well as his ‘speed-drawing’ ability. Constantly producing illustrations from a young age, McCay became a master of the drawing, renowned for his hypnotic coloring, attention to detail in physical forms, and his speed as an artist. One night in 1911, while working in his studio, an accident occurred which would drastically alter not only Winsor’s life, but the course of the world at large.

“In my studio I had on loan an assortment of photography equipment, with which I was experimenting in creating a film, not using images for each frame, but drawings, as had been done by some of my contemporaries. A strike of lightning nearby, startled me, and in my shock I spilled a shelf of various chemicals and artistic materials into a bucket, placed under a leak in the ceiling. 

[A photo is shown of Winsor McCay’s workshop, as it was around the time of the ‘accident’.]

“The next morning, I attempted to salvage some of the chemicals in the bucket, using the tainted ink for a ‘warm-up’ drawing. For practice, I drew a bird, a goldfinch of the kind that had rested around my home as a child. As I drew, I recalled the way in which they would stop on my fence and peck at themselves, on still winter days. At that moment, I heard a sort of squawking, and, to my shock, found that the bird had come right off the page. On the desk it sat, pecking at its wing; then, just as quickly as it had emerged, it soon collapsed, crumbling into dry ink.” - Winsor McCay, in an interview from 1914.

Winsor was awestruck with his creation. By chance, he had discovered the secret to the creation of life. Though in his public life, he continued work on his comic strips, he continued to experiment with this mysterious ‘ink of life’ in private, testing different mixtures and recording their effectiveness. In time, McCay perfected a formula which created durable, fluid, and sophisticated beings, at the expense of requiring large amounts of the material. He began to refer to them as ‘cartoons’, from their similarity to the comic characters he had worked on for years prior. To prove the success of the formula, McCay started work on a much grander project than the simple animals he had constructed.

“Thinking in terms of the usage of trained animals in some performance acts, I was compelled to attempt a much larger beast, perhaps to feature in a routine. From there, I developed the inspiration to recreate one of the long-dead dinosaurs.”

The task of recreating an animal never seen alive -one that hadn’t walked the Earth for millions of years - was daunting. Over two years, McCay worked on his project, using barrels of ink mixed in his Brooklyn home. Finally, in February 1914, at a theater in New York, he unveiled his greatest work yet.

[A film reel captures a brightly lit stage. McCay beckons, and from the curtains appears a large, grey dinosaur, around 12 feet tall.]

[The dinosaur proceeds to perform tricks such as raising a leg, bowing, and catching and eating a pumpkin with its mouth. At the end, McCay and the dinosaur bow to the camera, with the beast taking particular interest. McCay climbs onto its back, and the two exit stage left.]

The world was forever changed. A new era was born, in which mankind could control life’s domain.


	2. Explosion

Audiences in 1914 were astounded by McCay’s creation. Some questioned the ethics of the creation of a living, thinking being. “In the creation of this astounding beast,’ wrote one reporter, ‘McCay has broken the most outward boundaries of mankind’s knowledge. We are left only to wonder how farther humanity was meant to cross beyond this achievement. We have found nature’s ultimate, most precious secret - the creation of life itself, that which was previously known only to God.”

[A political cartoon of the time shows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, interrupted by Gertie chewing on the apple tree.]

Despite the words of some critics, the public at large was enchanted by this new ‘animated actor’. Winsor and Gertie were highly successful, going on a nationwide tour. This partnership, however successful, would not last. McCay’s boss, the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, demanded that he curtail his vaudeville work to focus on his nationally-published newspaper strips. McCay reluctantly agreed to this condition. Unable to house Gertie in his Brooklyn abode, McCay would send her to the Bronx Zoo in 1916, where he would continue to visit her until his death in 1934. Although lonely at times, Gertie would be treated well, with generations of New York children having fond memories of meeting her in person. 

“In 1937, my father took me on a visit to the Bronx Zoo. By far, the highlight of that trip was meeting Gertie. I was allowed by a keeper to go up to her and stroke her along the neck. It felt strange - like a real animal, but sort of plasticine. You felt like if you knocked on it, it’d echo. She was very calm - and I think she enjoyed the petting a lot! Every once in a while, they’d throw her a pumpkin, and she’d snap it right out of the air, like a dog. She was beautiful.” - Abe McElroy, 93

[A color photo of a young zookeeper standing next to Gertie. Gertie looks eagerly at the camera.]

Gertie would spend the rest of her life in the care of her keepers, adored by millions of New Yorkers. She passed away in 1967, peaceful and fulfilled.

McCay had done what he wanted with his ‘ink of life’. The question now was simply what to do with the formula. This would be the decision that would change history.

“After much thought, I have determined not to patent the formula for this strange chemical. To do so would be to deny the artists and scientists of the world a great opportunity, to explore the mechanics and applications of this ‘ink’. I hope that, for both my sake and everyone’s, that man will use this extraordinary creation for the betterment of all the world.” - Winsor McCay, 1915

Science institutes and studios alike sprang into action quickly. Though promising at first, use of the ink soon proved to be finicky. First was the matter of the ink’s production; massive amounts were required to produce a ‘toon’, as the animated beings came to be known. Only large studios and institutes could afford the large supplies needed for the ‘inking’ process. 

To produce a healthy toon, a team of ‘animators’ need to collaborate, perfecting the details of their shared toon down to their personality traits and tastes. Every detail is carefully planned, to create a healthy, sound individual. Many animators regard their toons as their own children.

“Being born, it’th like.. You don’t clearly remember anything, beforehand. Then you open your eyes, and you take in everything - the air, the colors, the textureth, everything, all in a big rush. And then the animators run up to you and start going go, “Can you thpeak? What’s five timeth seven? Do you know your name?’ And the firth thing you think is, “Jeez, give a duck some thpace to take this all in!” - D. Duck

After checking to make sure they are strong, durable and are properly made, the toons are given a brief ‘sensory’ period, with which they can adjust to their newfound senses. 

[Video footage from mid-to-late 1998 is shown. Ed, Edd, and Eddy, of the Cartoon Network show of the same name, are reclining on a couch shortly after being ‘drawn’. Eddy is flipping a quarter over and over with his thumb; Edd is reading a scientific magazine; Ed is chewing on a pillow. Danny Antonucci, their head designer, is sitting in a chair next to them.]

After this customary break, the toons go through a ‘screen test’, in which the animators double-check certain characteristics unique to each character. Basic motor skills, verbal communication, emotional responses, and senses are all tested.

[A variety of clips are shown, ranging over several decades and countries. Snoopy, qualified pilot and member of the “Peanuts” gang, demonstrates his skill with a paddleball, performing it upside-down, backwards, and, finally, bouncing it off one end of the screen to have it come out the other. Spike Siegel, of the 1990s Japanese sci-fi drama “Cowboy Bebop”, undergoes a lighting and makeup test. Bender, of the comedy-science fiction program “Futurama”, demonstrates his ability to store various items in his chest, including several cases of beer, a radio, a live opossum, and a bicycle. The producer asks Bender where he procured the beers, to which the robot simply shrugs.]

The size, strength and speed of a toon can vary depending on the production, from the miniscule…

[In a rare film reel, Jiminy Cricket, of the Disney adaptation of “Pinocchio”, is shown tap-dancing on top of a table.]

To the massive..

[Yellow Diamond, of the Cartoon Network series “Steven Universe”, is shown on the filming set, looking down and waving.]

As well as coming in all sorts of forms.

[Wallace, of the notable British comedy duo Wallace and Gromit, straightens his bowtie in front of a mirror. Miles Morales, star of the recent Oscar-winning comic book adaptation, ‘Into The Spider-Verse’, rehearses for an upcoming fight scene. Eric Cartman, famous for his role on the raunchy comedy show ‘South Park’, practices a series of lines, giving an obscene gesture to the camera.] 

By refusing to patent his invention, McCay opened up the doors to an entire world of possibility, allowing for new ideas and stories to be told. Motion picture studios, always looking for ways to dazzle audiences, were already eager to explore the use of toons in their films. Among these were the boastful, lion-hunting Colonel brought from the comics, Heeza Liar; the curious young boy, Bobby Bumps; and the comic, multi-talented Koko the Clown, who first “spoke” via speech bubbles that appeared over his head. Made by the famous Fleischer brothers using an expensive, experimental animation technique, nicknamed ‘Rotoscope’, Koko moved in a beautifully fluid manner, similar to a human.

In a television interview from 1987, Koko detailed the explosion of growth in the early years of toons.

[“I remember the great excitement in the industry, at the time. Every day, we were coming up with new effects, new jokes and scenarios that no one would’ve been able to try before. Max and Dave [Fleischer] had developed the ‘Rotoscope’ process, which is.. well, it’s how I’m sitting here now... and dozens of other methods for movie-making. It really felt as if anything was possible. Everything was new, and strange.. when I would walk down the street, people would stand there and gawk - not just because I’m a clown! 

[Laughter.]

[And, every once in a while, a fan would come up and ask for an autograph. That really was the greatest feeling in the world - the realization that you can brighten someone’s day. That’s the magic - not the money, or the recognition, but the laughter and the happiness.”]

Koko the Clown, a pioneer of toonkind, died in 1993. The Koko Memorial Foundation continues to provide entertainment to children’s hospitals.


End file.
